Frozen somewhere in the passage of time
by mochiinvasions
Summary: They are forever there in her heart and in her mind. Fic trade for Fotogenico.


**Title:** Frozen somewhere in the passage of time  
><strong>Author: <strong>AkaYuki2106  
><strong>Rating:<strong> T  
><strong>CharactersPairings:** Russia/Liechtenstein with mentions of Switzerland  
><strong>Summary:<strong> They are forever there in her heart and in her mind.  
><strong>Soundtrack:<strong> 'The Listening' by LIGHTS  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> Light kissing and non-sexual UST  
><strong>Info:<strong> For a fic trade. I have owed this since like FOREVER so I hope you enjoy it because you're so sweet and sdfghs your story was amazing sdfgh so please like this.

XxxX

She wakes up in a bed of flowers, or are they dead leaves? She can't remember where she is and as the sky comes into focus so do memories. She closes her eyes again and inhales, the air sweet like flowers but also musty, like some sort of decay of time, an autumn day when the weather hasn't decided if it's warm or cold yet. Her fingers tangle around soft and hard and it is the bony feel of the ground digging into her back that prompts her to rouse herself, shaking limbs into motion as she blinks tiredness from her eyes. The sky above is blue with a hint of grey as autumn rolls in and in the distance she can hear the call of voices, a sweet far thing, and she allows herself the indulgence of a smile for a second as she remembers laughing with her brother, in the rare times he allowed himself to relax.

In the next second a blond head appears over hers, smiling down at her with violet eyes. "Ah, you're awake," he says. "You were asleep when I arrived and I didn't want to wake you". His English is perfect with the slightest hint of an accent, that runs under her skin and sets fire to her never endings, and has her heart fluttering in her chest and her voice tripping quietly from her throat, stuttering words as the name Ivan sticks in her mind, and she apologises as he holds his hand out. She doesn't need his help but she takes it anyway, lingering at the sight of her tiny hand in his massive one as she helps her into a sitting position.

As she sits she realises that her dress is different from the usual, a shorter skirt and higher sleeves and made of gossamer thin satin, and she allows herself a hand that runs down the side of the luxurious dress and the slight moment of her legs to savour how it slides against her skin. "It's a beautiful dress," Ivan says and the blush slides up her cheeks again, thank you's falling from her throat. He is so very big, her Ivan, and he surrounds her in a way that is both comforting and overwhelming, unconditional, all-encompassing and open in his love, a far cry from the quiet fondness of her brother, who shows affection in small doses, more likely to smile after her than at her. Ivan meanwhile gives her gifts regularly, not buying her love but giving her his, his intimidating side and violent past making relationships and socialisation with others hard, leaving him at a loss when someone comes who isn't scared and doesn't want anything but a companion. Everything from the small gifts from his regular trips to a handful of sunflowers behind the building they both work in makes her smile, and he collects her smiles like a child collects pennies, judging his success by the fondness of her gaze.

Her brother was wary at first but he accepts Ivan now, his protective instincts giving way as slowly but surely Ivan works his way into her heart, and she looks at her brother patiently until he throws down the book and says "Yes, alright, go if you want." She doesn't mind that he protects her even though she's an adult now, his watchful words keeping her out of more troubles than not, and she is glad for his comforting hand on her back as he guides her through the adult world, staying up for her each night she is out late and always awake before she is, her constant through changes as she grows older with each day. And he in turn is grateful for her, someone to watch over and protect and keep safe as old friends grow away and what used to be a grateful friendship becomes barbed words and glares and don't talk to me whispers. He holds her hand and is grateful for her warmth, but he knows that she has to grow up sometime, and so when she first talks to Ivan he is suspicious at first, knowing the other's past, but as days grow longer and nights grow shorter and spring fades to summer which decays into autumn, he lets her go, letting her fade away from him into the arms of another. "Keep her safe," he tells the man, "and don't hurt her. Let her be innocent, she is the flower in my secluded glade," and Ivan is the tree that covers them both, enveloping them in the vastness that is his heart, his warmth that waits for someone to take cover in his open arms.

And so she finds herself staring awkwardly at her hands as he waits for her to talk. The silence is not awkward but peaceful, and when he breaks it, it is purely to mention that he brought some food and that he hopes what she brought has not spoiled in the day's heat. She has a sweet tooth, and he exploits it to no end, laughing as she smiles over her next slice of cake or collecting her crumbs as she trails cookies through the corridors of her home. The food he brings turns out to be biscuits, sugar and spice and all things nice and she laughs with him, the knowledge that he knows just how to get to her sweet to her, as she realises she knows how to get to him and reaches out to touch their hands playfully, enjoying the shyness of the blush that curls up his cheek as their hands intertwine. There is a second where they can both feel it, nerve ends on fire as she raises her eyes from their hands to meet his, open mouth daring him to do something and she can feel the slight motion as he leans closer and they are two sides of a void that are threatening to collide, fitting together in all the right ways, but the second passes and he gently frees his hand and moves to get the food ready, and she feels the light dim in her eyes as she watches his form.

So the minutes pass and they talk softly, exchanging words here and there about this and that and every moment she longs for his hand against hers again, but when he passes something to her he moves his hand quickly and he draws the conversation away from them, in awkward words so different from his usual quiet confidence. And she lets it be, lets him go at the pace that he wants to and locks her longing up deep inside her chest and becomes herself again, shy and innocent and softly smiles and they exchange quiet words and everything is at ease again. When her laughter sounds a little too loud she softens in, and when his accent becomes a little too strong as he wrestles around harder words he reins it in, and they are happy. She is never at a loss with words with him, nothing too personal or too abstract and they sail down the paths of each other's pasts and with each word she peels back a new veil of the fog that surrounds his time before they met, and she begins to find the person behind the face she knows. She should be scared but she's merely fascinated and soft questions drip from her lips as she looks closer and closer at him, looking for the person she loves.

Eventually the conversation fades and they find themselves eating and drinking quietly, the only sound the crunch as she bites into her biscuit. She looks at across from where she sits, hard earth giving way to soft grass that dies soon, unable to stand the test of winter. But from a distance the hills are green and they roll away from them into the distance, covered in specks of colour from the other people out enjoying the weather like they are, and the sky above them is blue as the endless sea and the clouds that cover it are mere wisps, almost nothing against the vastness of the rich blue sky. The air is sweet and soft against her skin, a soft wind that steals up her spine and sends chills down her neck and blows her hair about so that it tickles her neck and makes her arch her back unconsciously, and she is aware of his eyes on her, watching her and she smiles, and turns to him, unable to contain the joy she suddenly feels. She is in a place she loves, doing what she loves, eating what she loves with the person she loves. What else could be better?

A cold breeze trickles through and runs against her skin and she shivers suddenly, hairs on end as hyperaware she feels every motion and every sigh of the wind. He notices, eyes always on her, and without thinking offers her his coat, taking it off silently and wrapping it about her, without speaking a word. She notices that underneath he wears little more than a light sweater and so without speaking a word herself she moves closer to him and leans against him, opening the coat so that it wraps around him. She isn't sure why he wears such a large coat when he isn't all that large himself but it's at times like this that she's grateful for it, as he smiles indulgently and wraps it close around them both, leaning back against the tree stump and shyly wrapping his arm over her shoulder to hold her close. "It's a pity the wind is cold, it looks so nice today."

"I know, but I'm warm now."

And warm she is, safe in his arms.

XxxX

It could be seconds or hours and maybe she closed her eyes for a second or maybe she fell asleep in his arms, but there's a moment or two and she can hear it, soft in the distance, music, fast and energising, tempting her body to movement, desire gathering in her limbs and flowing down to her fingertips. Without thinking she moves softly, slipping from under his arm and out from his coat and up and around and twirls, her dress flying up and opening his eyes as he looks up at her, surprised at her sudden display of movement, hand folding out from inside her skirts to be held out in front of her, fingers pointed at him and palm up and open, waiting for his.

"Dance." She says. Silence. "Do you want to? Dance, I mean. With me."

More silence.

He doesn't know how to dance, but nor really does she.

He takes her hand, getting up. She couldn't help him up, but the trap is set now and he is caught, the willing prey, soft skin and long fingers clasped around hers. The music starts up again, stronger now and without thinking their intertwined hand float up to their side as his other wraps around her waist and her other comes up to rest on his shoulder and eyes closely fixed on each other they begin to move, bodies in sync as they automatically make up the movements as they go, starting slowly but getting faster and faster as the music increases in tempo and they are flying now, giddy and confused as they spin across the ground, feet skittering and tripping around the other as her breath is caught in her throat and her heats beats twice as fast as usual and she can feels his love all around her, following her like a cloud that centres on her heartbeat and it surrounds and engulfs her and he is closer and closer and…Suddenly the music reaches its fastest tempo and she is spun out of his arms and he stands in place as he holds her hand and she spins and spins, around and around, as the tree above sighs its leaves down and she spins and spins in the falling leaves until the world is a blur and her breath comes quickly and her heartbeat is faster than the beating of drums and she feels the falling leaves soft against her skin as they fall all around her and then suddenly….the stop. The song ends quickly and so does she, tripping around in circles as she finds herself falling into his arms.

He wraps his arms around her tightly as the two breathe deeply, inhaling the soft air as they try and slow their heartbeats, his arms wrapping and rewrapping themselves around her shoulders and holding her tight against his body. She smiles, laughing and he smiles too and without thinking leans down to kiss her on the cheek, endorphins rushing to his head as her body leans against his. She gasps, and then smiles even wider and reaches her hands up to pull his head down and leans on her tip-toes to kiss him back, hiding her blush in his neck. It is soft and awkward and she is still dizzy and falling over but she is blissful nonetheless and knots their hands tight and smiles against his skin.

Perhaps it is a dream, and perhaps it is real but either way they are there in her heart and her memory, frozen somewhere in the passage of time dancing beneath the falling leaves.

XxxX

At first I started to write and then school happened. And school happened for seven weeks, but I go on holiday tomorrow and didn't have anything to do today (okay I did but I left half of it at home so whatever) so I wrote this instead of wasting time. I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG. I hope you like and it it's not too meh and I know I didn't fit the prompt perfectly but I tried I'M SORRY OKAY ;A;


End file.
